TCI and QCL configuration in 5G networks

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) includes a processing circuit coupled to a memory. To configure the UE for multiple transmission reception point (TRP) reception, the processing circuit decodes radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring multiple transmission configuration indication (TCI) states. A medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) is decoded, wherein the MAC CE indicates multiple active TCI states in the configured multiple TCI states. Multiple receive beams are determined using the multiple active TCI states. Downlink information is decoded, wherein the downlink information originates from multiple TRPs and is received via multiple receive beams determined to be associated with the multiple active TCI states.

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 717,347, filed on August 10, 2018, entitled “TCI / QCL CONFIGURATION ENHANCEMENTS FOR NR,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects relate to wireless communications. Some aspects relate to wireless networks, including 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) networks, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks, 3GPP LTE-A (LTE Advanced) networks, and fifth generation (5G) networks, wherein the fifth generation (5G) networks include 5G New Radio (NR) (or 5G-NR) networks and 5G-LTE networks. Other aspects relate to systems and methods for configuring transmission configuration indication (TCI) and quasi-co-location (QCL) information in 5G networks. Background Art

[0004] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly complex integrated communications platforms. The use of 3GPP LTE systems has increased with the increase in different types of devices communicating with various network devices. The penetration of mobile devices (user equipment or UE) in modern society continues to drive the demand for a variety of networked devices in many different environments. The fifth generation (5G) wireless system is about to be launched and is expected to be able to achieve higher speeds, connectivity and availability. The next generation 5G network (or NR network) is expected to improve throughput, coverage and robustness, and reduce latency as well as operating and capital expenses. 5G-NR networks will continue to develop based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced and other potential new radio access technologies (RATs), enriching people's lives with seamless wireless connectivity solutions, thereby providing fast and rich content and services. Since current cellular network frequencies are saturated, higher frequencies such as millimeter wave (mm Wave) frequencies can benefit from their high bandwidth.

[0005] Potential LTE operations in unlicensed spectrum include (and are not limited to) LTE operation in unlicensed spectrum via Dual Connectivity (DC) or DC-based LAA and standalone LTE systems, whereby LTE-based technologies operate only in unlicensed spectrum without having an "anchor" in licensed spectrum known as MulteFire. MulteFire combines the performance advantages of LTE technology with the simplicity of Wi-Fi-like deployments.

[0006] In future releases and 5G systems, it is expected that LTE systems will have further enhanced operations in both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Such enhanced operations may include techniques for configuring transmission configuration indication (TCI) and quasi co-location (QCL) configurations in 5G-NR networks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may describe similar components in different views. Like numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate various aspects described in this document by way of example and not by way of limitation.

[0008] Figure 1A An architecture of a network according to some aspects is shown.

[0009] Figure 1B is a simplified diagram of an overall next generation (NG) system architecture according to some aspects.

[0010] Figure 1C A functional division between the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) and the 5G Core Network (5GC) according to some aspects is shown.

[0011] Figure 1D An example Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) architecture is shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0012] Figure 1E A non-roaming 5G system architecture is shown according to some aspects.

[0013] Figure 2 Multiple downlink data transmissions overlapping in the time domain that may be simultaneously received by a user equipment are shown in accordance with some aspects.

[0014] Figure 3 A CORESET is shown configuring multiple TCIs according to some aspects.

[0015] Figure 4 A CORESET of a single TCI state associated with multiple reference signals and QCL information is shown in accordance with some aspects of the configuration.

[0016] Figure 5 A CORESET is shown configuring multiple scrambling code IDs, each associated with a separate search space, according to some aspects.

[0017] Figure 6A block diagram of a communication device, such as an evolved Node B (eNB), a new generation Node B (gNB), an access point (AP), a wireless station (STA), a mobile station (MS), or a user equipment (UE), is shown according to some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following description and accompanying drawings sufficiently illustrate various aspects to enable those skilled in the art to practice these aspects. Other aspects may incorporate structural changes, logical changes, electrical changes, process changes, and other changes. Portions and features of some aspects may be included in or replace portions and features of other aspects. Aspects set forth in the claims encompass all available equivalents in those claims.

[0019] Figure 1A An architecture of a network according to some aspects is shown. Network 140A is shown to include user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102. UE 101 and UE 102 are shown as smart phones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing devices, such as personal data assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptops, desktop computers, wireless phones, drones, or any other computing device that includes a wired and / or wireless communication interface. UE 101 and UE 102 may be collectively referred to as UE 101 herein, and UE 101 may be used to perform one or more of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0020] Any radio links described herein (eg, as used in network 140A or any other illustrated network) may operate according to any exemplary radio communication technology and / or standard.

[0021] LTE and LTE-Advanced are wireless communication standards for high-speed data for UEs such as mobile phones. In LTE-Advanced and various wireless systems, carrier aggregation is a technique whereby multiple carrier signals operating at different frequencies can be used to carry communications for a single UE, thereby increasing the bandwidth available to a single device. In some aspects, carrier aggregation can be used when one or more component carriers operate at unlicensed frequencies.

[0022] There is an interest in operating LTE systems in unlicensed spectrum. Therefore, one of the key enhancements to LTE in 3GPP Release 13 is to enable it to operate in unlicensed spectrum via Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), which expands the system bandwidth by leveraging the flexible carrier aggregation (CA) framework introduced by LTE-Advanced systems. The focus of Rel-13 LAA systems is to design downlink operations in unlicensed spectrum via CA, while the focus of Rel-14 enhanced LAA (eLAA) systems is to design uplink operations in unlicensed spectrum via CA.

[0023] The aspects described herein may be used in the context of any spectrum management scheme, including, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (such as Licensed Shared Access (LSA) at 2.3-2.4 GHz, 3.4-3.6 GHz, 3.6-3.8 GHz and other frequencies, and Spectrum Access System (SAS) at 3.55-3.7 GHz and other frequencies).

[0024] The aspects described herein may also be applied to different single carrier or OFDM families (CP-OFDM, SC-FDMA, SC-OFDM, filter bank based multi-carrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.) by assigning OFDM carrier data bit vectors to corresponding symbol resources, and are specifically applied to 3GPP NR (New Radio).

[0025] In some aspects, any one of UE 101 and UE 102 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE or a cellular IoT (CIoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-lived UE connections. In some aspects, any one of UE 101 and UE 102 may include a narrowband (NB) IoT UE (e.g., such as an enhanced NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) UE and a further enhanced (FeNB-IoT) UE). The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC) to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), proximity-based services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network includes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) that utilize short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0026] In some aspects, an NB-IoT device may be configured to operate in a single physical resource block (PRB) and may be retuned on command to two different PRBs within the system bandwidth. In some aspects, an eNB-IoT UE may be configured to acquire system information in one PRB and may then retun to a different PRB to receive or transmit data.

[0027] In some aspects, either of UE 101 and UE 102 may comprise an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE or a further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UE.

[0028] UE 101 and UE 102 may be configured to connect (e.g., be communicatively coupled) to a radio access network (RAN) 110. RAN 110 may be, for example, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a next generation RAN (NGRAN), or some other type of RAN. UE 101 and UE 102 utilize connection 103 and connection 104, respectively, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, connection 103 and connection 104 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communicatively coupling, and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a global system for mobile communications (GSM) protocol, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a cellular PTT (POC) protocol, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a new radio (NR) protocol, etc.

[0029] In some aspects, network 140A may include core network (CN) 120. Reference is made herein to e.g. Figure 1B , Figure 1C , Figure 1D ,and Figure 1E Various aspects of NG RAN and NG Core are discussed.

[0030] In one aspect, UE 101 and UE 102 may also directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0031] UE 102 is shown configured to access access point (AP) 106 via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection such as, for example, a connection compliant with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, according to which AP 106 may include wireless fidelity. In this example, AP 106 is shown connected to the Internet and not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

[0032] The RAN 110 may include one or more access nodes that enable the connection 103 and the connection 104. These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BSs), node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), next generation node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may include ground sites (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite sites that cover a certain geographic area (e.g., a cell). In some aspects, the communication nodes 111 and the communication nodes 112 may be transmission / reception points (TRPs). In the case where the communication nodes 111 and the communication nodes 112 are node Bs (e.g., eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs may function within the communication cells of the node Bs. The RAN 110 may include one or more RAN nodes (e.g., macro RAN nodes 111) for providing macro cells, and one or more RAN nodes (e.g., low power (LP) RAN nodes 112) for providing femto cells or pico cells (e.g., cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than macro cells).

[0033] Either of the RAN node 111 and the RAN node 112 may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UE 101 and the UE 102. In some aspects, either of the RAN node 111 and the RAN node 112 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 110, including but not limited to radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling and mobility management. In one example, either of the node 111 and / or the node 112 may be a new generation Node B (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB), or another type of RAN node.

[0034] According to some aspects, UE 101 and UE 102 may be configured to communicate with each other using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals, or communicate with either RAN node 111 and RAN node 112 via a multi-carrier communication channel based on a variety of communication technologies, such as but not limited to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe for sidelink communication), but such aspects are not required. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0035] In some aspects, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 to the UEs 101 and 102, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation may be used in an OFDM system, making the OFDM system suitable for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid may correspond to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain may correspond to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid may be represented as a resource element. Each resource grid may include a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of a particular physical channel to a resource element. Each resource block may include a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated in some aspects. There may be a plurality of different physical downlink channels transmitted using such resource blocks.

[0036] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may convey user data and higher layer signaling to UE 101 and UE 102. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about, among other things, transport formats and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel. It may also inform UE 101 and UE 102 of transport formats, resource allocations, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to uplink shared channels. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 102 within a cell) may be performed at either RAN node 111 or RAN node 112 based on channel quality information fed back from either UE 101 or UE 102. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of UE 101 and UE 102.

[0037] Some aspects may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, where the concept of resource allocation is an extension of the above concept. For example, some aspects may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), which uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs) may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). According to some arrangements, ECCEs may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0038] RAN 110 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 via an S1 interface 113. In some aspects, CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (e.g., as described in reference to FIG. Figures 1B to 1E ). In this aspect, the S1 interface 113 is divided into two parts: an S1-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 122; and an S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the MME 121.

[0039] In this regard, CN 120 includes MME 121, S-GW 122, Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 124. MME 121 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (SGSN). MME 121 may manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. HSS 124 may include a database for network users, which includes subscription-related information for supporting network entities in handling communication sessions. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc., CN 120 may include one or more HSS 124. For example, HSS 124 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

[0040] The S-GW 122 may terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 110 and route data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities of the S-GW 122 may include lawful interception, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0041] The P-GW 123 may terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN. The P-GW 123 may route data packets between the EPC network 120 and external networks such as a network including an application server 184 (alternatively referred to as an application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. The P-GW 123 may also transmit data to other external networks 131A, which may include the Internet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IPS) network, and other networks. Generally, the application server 184 may be an element that provides an application that uses IP bearer resources with a core network (e.g., a UMTS packet service (PS) domain, a LTE PS data service, etc.). In this regard, the P-GW 123 is shown as being communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the IP interface 125. The application server 184 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UE 101 and UE 102 via the CN 120.

[0042] The P-GW 123 may also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is a policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, in some aspects, there may be a single PCRF associated with the UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN). In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: the Home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and the Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the P-GW 123. The application server 184 may signal the PCRF 126 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate quality of service (QoS) and charging parameters. PCRF 126 may provide the rules to a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) using the appropriate Traffic Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Class of Identifier (QCI), as specified by application server 184, which initiates QoS and charging.

[0043] In one example, either node 111 or node 112 may be configured to transmit antenna panel selection and receive (Rx) beam selection to UE 101, UE 102 (e.g., dynamically), which may be used by the UE for data reception on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and for channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) measurement and channel state information (CSI) calculation.

[0044] In one example, either node 111 or node 112 may be configured to transmit antenna panel selections and transmit (Tx) beam selections to UE 101, UE 102 (e.g., dynamically), which may be used by the UE for data transmission on a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and for sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission.

[0045] In some aspects, the communication network 140A can be an IoT network. One of the current enablers of IoT is narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). NB-IoT has goals such as coverage extension, UE complexity reduction, long battery life, and backward compatibility with LTE networks. In addition, NB-IoT is designed to provide deployment flexibility, allowing operators to use a small portion of their existing available spectrum to introduce NB-IoT and operate in one of the following three modes: (a) standalone deployment (the network operates in the reconstructed GSM spectrum); (b) in-band deployment (the network operates in the LTE channel); and (c) guard band deployment (the network operates in the guard band of the traditional LTE channel).

[0046] In some aspects, UE 101 may support connectivity to a 5G core network (5GCN) (or 5G access network or 5G-AN) and may be configured to operate with early data transmission (EDT) in a communication architecture supporting machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), further enhanced MTC (feMTC), further enhanced MTC (efeMTC), and narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) communications. When operating with EDT, a physical random access channel (PRACH) process message 3 (MSG3) may be used to carry short uplink (UL) data, and a PRACH process message 4 (MSG4) may be used to carry short downlink (DL) data (if any). When the UE wants to make a new RRC connection, it first transmits one or more preambles, which may be referred to as PRACH process message 1 (MSG1). MSG4 may also instruct the UE to enter idle mode immediately. To this end, the transport block size (TBS) scheduled by the UL grant for transmitting UL data for EDT received for MSG3 needs to be larger than the TBS scheduled by the traditional grant. In some aspects, the UE may indicate its intention to use early data transmission via MSG1 using a separate PRACH resource partition. Based on MSG1, the eNB knows that it must provide a grant scheduling TBS value that may be different from the traditional TBS for MSG3 in the random access response (RAR or MSG2) so that the UE can transmit UL data in MSG3 for EDT. However, the eNB may not know exactly the size of the UL data that the UE wants to transmit for EDT and how large the UL grant for MSG3 will be, but the minimum and maximum TBS for the UL grant may be defined. The following two situations may occur: (a) The UL grant provided in the RAR is larger than the UL data plus the header. In this case, Layer 1 needs to add one or more padding bits to the remaining grant. However, transmitting a large number of padding bits (or useless bits) is not efficient, especially in deep coverage where a larger number of transmission repetitions are required (b) Similarly, when the UL grant provided in the RAR is large but not enough to accommodate the UL data for EDT, the UE may have to send only a traditional RRC message to fall back to a traditional RRC connection. In this case, the UE may again need to transmit multiple padding bits, which may be inefficient. As used herein, the term "PRACH procedure" may be used interchangeably with the term "random access procedure" or "RA procedure."

[0047] In some aspects, and in combination with Figure 2-5As described, the UE may be configured with TCI / QCL enhancement for communication in a 5G network. More specifically, the UE 101 may receive configuration information 190A from the base station 111, which may be used to configure multiple available TCI states at the UE. The configuration information 190A may also include an indication of one or more active TCI states among the configured multiple TCI states. In some aspects, the configuration information for configuring the available TCI states may be transmitted via RRC signaling, and the configuration information for selecting the active TCI state may be transmitted via medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling. The UE 101 may determine multiple receive beams utilizing the one or more active TCI states. The UE 101 may also decode downlink information 192A, wherein the downlink information originates from multiple transmission reception points (TRPs) (e.g., base stations) of downlink information received via the determined multiple receive beams associated with the one or more active TCI states. In combination Figures 2 to 5 Conventional configuration enhancements combined with TCI / QCL configurations are disclosed.

[0048] Figure 1B is a simplified diagram of a next generation (NG) system architecture 140B according to some aspects. Figure 1B , the NG system architecture 140B includes the RAN 110 and the 5G network core (5GC) 120. The NG-RAN 110 may include multiple nodes, such as gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130.

[0049] The core network 120 (e.g., 5G core network or 5GC) may include an access and mobility function (AMF) 132 and / or a user plane function (UPF) 134. AMF 132 and UPF 134 may be communicatively coupled to gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 via an NG interface. More specifically, in some aspects, gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 may be connected to AMF 132 via an NG-C interface and to UPF 134 via an NG-U interface. gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 may be coupled to each other via an Xn interface.

[0050] In some aspects, gNB 128 may comprise a node that provides New Radio (NR) user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards UEs and is connected to 5GC 120 via an NG interface. In some aspects, NG-eNB 130 may comprise a node that provides Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards UEs and is connected to 5GC 120 via an NG interface.

[0051] In some aspects, the NG system architecture 40B may use reference points between various nodes as provided by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 (e.g., V15.4.0, 2018-12).

[0052] In some aspects, each of gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 may be implemented as a base station, a mobile edge server, a small cell, a home eNB, etc.

[0053] In some aspects, in the 5G architecture, node 128 may be a master node (MN) and node 130 may be a secondary node (SN). MN 128 may be connected to AMF 132 via an NG-C interface and to SN 128 via an XN-C interface. MN 128 may be connected to UPF 134 via an NG-U interface and to SN 128 via an XN-U interface.

[0054] Figure 1C The functional division between NG-RAN and 5G Core (5GC) according to some aspects is shown. Figure 1C , which shows a more detailed diagram of the functions that may be performed by the gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 within the NG-RAN 110 and the AMF 132, UPF 134, and SMF 136 in the 5GC 120. In some aspects, the 5GC 120 may provide access to the Internet 138 to one or more devices via the NG-RAN 110.

[0055] In some aspects, gNB 128 and NG-eNB 130 can be configured to host the following functions: functions for radio resource management (for example, inter-cell radio resource management 129A, radio bearer control 129B, connection mobility control 129C, radio admission control 129D, dynamic resource allocation (scheduling) 129F for UEs in uplink and downlink); IP header compression, encryption and integrity protection of data; selection of AMF at UE attachment when the route to AMF cannot be determined based on the information provided by the UE; routing of user plane data to one or more UPFs; routing of control plane information to AMF; connection setup and release; scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originated from AMF); scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originated from AMF or operation and maintenance); measurement and measurement report configuration for mobility and scheduling 129E; transport layer packet marking in uplink; session management; network slicing support; QoS flow management and mapping to data radio bearers; support for UE in RRC_INACTIVE state; distribution function of non-access stratum (NAS) messages; radio access network sharing; dual connectivity; and tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA, etc.

[0056] In some aspects, the AMF 132 may be configured to host functions such as: NAS signaling termination; NAS signaling security 133A; access stratum (AS) security control; core network (CN) inter-node signaling for mobility between 3GPP access networks; idle state / mode mobility processing 133B, including mobile devices, such as UE reachability (e.g., control and execution of paging retransmissions); registration area management; intra-system and inter-system mobility support; access authentication; access authorization, including checking roaming rights; mobility management control (subscription and policy); network slicing support; and / or SMF selection, among other functions.

[0057] The UPF 134 may be configured to host functionality such as: mobility anchor 135A (e.g., an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility); packet data unit (PDU) processing 135B (e.g., an external PDU session point for interconnecting with a data network); packet routing and forwarding; packet inspection and user plane portions of policy rule enforcement; traffic usage reporting; an uplink classifier to support routing of communication flows to a data network; a branch point to support multi-homed PDU sessions; QoS processing for the user plane, such as packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement; uplink communication verification (SDF to QoS flow mapping); and / or downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, among other functionality.

[0058] The session management function (SMF) 136 can be configured to host functions such as: session management; UE IP address allocation and management 137A; selection and control of user plane functions (UPF); PDU session control 137B, including configuring traffic steering at the UPF 134 to route traffic to the correct destination; control portions of policy enforcement and QoS; and / or downlink data notification, among other functions.

[0059] Figure 1D An exemplary Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) New Radio Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) architecture is shown in accordance with some aspects. Figure 1D , the EN-DC architecture 140D includes a radio access network (or E-TRA network or E-TRAN) 110 and an EPC 120. The EPC 120 may include an MME 121 and an S-GW 122. The E-UTRAN 110 may include a node 111 (e.g., an eNB) and an evolved universal terrestrial radio access new radio (EN) next generation evolved node B (en-gNB) 128.

[0060] In some aspects, the en-gNB 128 may be configured to provide NR user plane protocol termination and control plane protocol termination towards the UE 102 and act as a secondary node (or SgNB) in the EN-DC communication architecture 140D. In the EN-DC communication architecture 140D, the eNB 111 may be configured as a master node (or MeNB) and the eNB 128 may be configured as a secondary node (or SgNB). Figure 1D As shown, eNB 111 is connected to EPC 120 via an S1 interface and to EN-gNB 128 via an X2 interface. EN-gNB (or SgNB) 128 may be connected to EPC 120 via an S1-U interface and to other EN-gNBs via an X2-U interface. SgNB 128 may communicate via a UU interface (e.g., using signaling radio bearer type 3 or SRB3, such as Figure 1D The MeNB 111 may communicate with the UE 102 via an X2 interface (eg, an X2-C interface). The MeNB 111 may communicate with the UE 102 via a UU interface.

[0061] Although the EN-DC communication environment is described Figure 1D , but other types of dual-connectivity communication architectures (eg, when UE 102 is connected to a primary node and a secondary node) may also use the techniques disclosed herein.

[0062] In some aspects, the MeNB 111 may be connected to the MME 121 via an S1-MME interface and to the SgNB 128 via an X2-C interface. In some aspects, the MeNB 111 may be connected to the SGW 122 via an S1-U interface and to the SgNB 128 via an X2-U interface. In some aspects associated with dual connectivity (DC) and / or multi-rate DC (MR-DC), the master eNB (MeNB) may offload user plane traffic to a secondary gNB (SgNB) via a split bearer or an SCG (secondary cell group) split bearer.

[0063] Figure 1E A non-roaming 5G system architecture is shown according to some aspects. Figure 1E, which shows a 5G system architecture 140E in a reference point representation. More specifically, the UE 102 can communicate with the RAN 110 and one or more other 5G core (5GC) network entities. The 5G system architecture 140E includes multiple network functions (NFs), such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) 132, a session management function (SMF) 136, a policy control function (PCF) 148, an application function (AF) 150, a user plane function (UPF) 134, a network slice selection function (NSSF) 142, an authentication server function (AUSF) 144, and a unified data management (UDM) / home subscriber server (HSS) 146. The UPF 134 can provide a connection to a data network (DN) 152, which can include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. The AMF 132 can be used to manage access control and mobility, and can also include a network slice selection function. The SMF 136 can be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policies. UPF 134 may be deployed in one or more configurations depending on the desired service type. PCF 148 may be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to PCRF in 4G communication systems). UDM may be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to HSS in 4G communication systems).

[0064] In some aspects, the 5G system architecture 140E includes an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 168E and multiple IP multimedia core network subsystem entities, such as a call session control function (CSCF). More specifically, the IMS 168E includes a CSCF, which can act as a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 162E, a serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 164E, an emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) ( Figure 1E The P-CSCF 162E may be configured as the first contact point for the UE 102 within the IM subsystem (IMS) 168E. The S-CSCF 164E may be configured to handle session states in the network, and the E-CSCF may be configured to handle certain aspects of emergency sessions, such as routing emergency requests to the correct emergency center or PSAP. The I-CSCF 166E may be configured to act as a contact point within the operator's network for all IMS connections directed to subscribers of the network operator or roaming subscribers currently located within the service area of ​​the network operator. In some aspects, the I-CSCF 166E may be connected to another IP multimedia network 170E, such as an IMS operated by a different network operator.

[0065] In some aspects, the UDM / HSS 146 may be coupled to an application server 160E, which may include a telephony application server (TAS) or another application server (AS). The AS 160E may be coupled to the IMS 168E via the S-CSCF 164E or the I-CSCF 166E. In some aspects, the 5G system architecture 140E may use one or more techniques described herein to use a unified access restriction mechanism that may be applicable to all RRC states of the UE 102, such as RRC_IDLE, RRC_CONNECTED, and RRC_INACTIVE states.

[0066] In some aspects, the 5G system architecture 140E may be configured to use the 5G access control mechanism techniques described herein based on access categories, which may be categorized by a minimum default set of access categories that are common across all networks. This functionality may allow a public land mobile network PLMN, such as a visited PLMN (VPLMN), to protect the network from different types of registration attempts, enable acceptable services for roaming subscribers, and enable the VPLMN to control access attempts intended to receive certain basic services. It also provides more options and flexibility for individual operators by providing a set of access categories that can be configured and used in an operator-specific manner.

[0067] Reference point representation shows that there may be interactions between corresponding NF services. For example, Figure 1EThe following reference points are shown: N1 (between UE 102 and AMF 132), N2 (between RAN 110 and AMF 132), N3 (between RAN 110 and UPF 134), N4 (between SMF 136 and UPF 134), N5 (between PCF 148 and AF 150, not shown), N6 (between UPF 134 and DN 152), N7 (between SMF 136 and PCF 148, not shown), N8 (between UDM 146 and AMF 132, not shown), N9 (between two UPFs 134, not shown), N10 (between UDM 146 and SMF 136, not shown), N11 (between AMF 132 and SMF 136, not shown), N12 (between AUSF 144 and AMF 132, not shown), N13 (between AUSF 144 and UDM 146, not shown), N14 (between two AMFs 132, not shown), N15 (between PCF 148 and AMF 132 if it is a non-roaming scenario; between PCF 148 and the access network and AMF 132 if it is a roaming scenario, not shown), N16 (between two SMFs, not shown), and N22 (between AMF 132 and NSSF 142, not shown). Figure 1E Other reference points not shown are indicated.

[0068] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly complex integrated communications platforms. The next generation of wireless communication systems, 5G or New Radio (NR), will provide access to information and data sharing for a variety of users and applications anytime, anywhere. NR is expected to be a unified network / system designed to meet very different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. Such different multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced with the addition of potential new radio access technologies (RATs), enriching people's lives with better simple and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. NR will enable everything to be connected wirelessly and provide fast, rich content and services.

[0069] Multi-TRP transmission of downlink control information (DCI) forms an aspect to be considered in the next release of the NR specification (e.g., towards enabling ultra-reliable low latency operation) as part of PDCCH enhancements. In some aspects, the same DCI (for at least similar scheduling decisions for a given TB) is carried by multiple PDCCHs, for example, on an ideal backhaul (while non-ideal backhaul between TRPs can still be a useful case for improved reliability goals).

[0070] Multiple TRP transmissions may be intended to enhance the reliability of control channel transmissions, while for data transmissions other methods may be applied. This PDCCH enhancement method may not necessarily allow for the combination of information at the UE. Therefore, different aspects need to be considered for further enhancements and adjustments.

[0071] In some aspects, the TCI state may provide a QCL configuration / indication for the PDCCH, and the QCL configuration of the PDCCH contains information that provides a reference to the TCI state. The number of DCIs with different QCL assumptions that can be sent to the UE may be limited by the number of CORESETs, the TCI states configured in the CORESETs, and how flexibly the TCI can be changed for the CORESETs. Therefore, the number of TCI states received by the PDCCH is an aspect for further consideration due to limitations on how flexibly it can be configured and / or how many different beams can be configured.

[0072] On the other hand, limiting the maximum number of CORESETs configured to a UE per bandwidth part (BWP) may be beneficial for achieving more practical RRC signaling and better UE dimension determination. In some aspects, three CORESETs may be supported per BWP, which provides sufficient flexibility. However, as part of the enhancement of the robustness and reliability performance of the PDCCH required for multi-TRP operation, it may be beneficial to enable support for a larger number of TCI states for PDCCH monitoring and increase the number of CORESETs (assuming that aspects regarding the association of TCIs with CORESETs can remain the same).

[0073] One direction of enhancement may be to allow multiple active TCI states per CORESET, and to associate / indicate (according to a specific scheme to be discussed below, among multiple states configured by RRC or MAC CE) a specific active TCI state for monitoring PDCCH candidates as part of the corresponding search space configuration directed to that CORESET.

[0074] In some aspects, it may also be considered to increase the number of RSs sharing the same QCL type in the TCI state and to employ a greater number of beams for PDCCH reception to enhance the robustness of the PDCCH.

[0075] In some aspects, increasing the number of TCI states configured per CORESET and the number of CORESETs that can be configured for a UE has a substantially similar impact on UE implementation as far as PDCCH is concerned. The difference is mainly in terms of signaling and configuration.

[0076] The following discusses a high-level background of current possible approaches for TCI state configuration, and how / why some of the current design elements may need further enhancement.

[0077] Overview of the TCI state configuration scheme.

[0078] In NR, with respect to PDSCH reception, three schemes are supported for beam indication: (a) RRC signaling configures a single TCI state; (b) RRC signaling configures N TCI states and MAC CE selects down one of them; and (c) RRC signaling configures N TCI states, MAC CE selects down M of them (called active TCI states), and DCI is used to indicate one from these M TCI states (as the active state).

[0079] In some aspects, if the scheduling offset is less than the UE reported value, the UE may use the same beam to receive PDSCH with CORESET in the nearest slot.

[0080] As for PDCCH reception, the following two corresponding beam indication schemes can be used: (a) RRC signaling configures a single TCI state; and (b) RRC signaling configures N TCI states, and MAC CE selects one of them downward.

[0081] In some aspects, the UE may be configured to track only one active TCI state per CORESET at any time for PDCCH reception. This means that the UE only tracks the TCI state indicated by the MAC CE. This limitation is mainly due to the UE specific implementation complexity burden.

[0082] In some aspects, up to 64 TCI states may be configured via RRC signaling (the UE may not track all of them). In some aspects, there may be up to 8 active TCI states (where the exact number is based on UE capabilities, which may be indicated by the UE). The number of TCI states that a UE may support may be the number of TCI states configured by RRC signaling.

[0083] In some aspects, the MAC CE delay can be 3ms, starting from the transmission of the ACK for the MAC CE. Whether this delay is sufficient to enable the UE to track and acquire the new TCI state (in the case where the number of active TCI states that the UE should track at any time for PDCCH reception needs to be enhanced) depends on the configuration of the total radiated sensitivity (TRS) of the gNB. This delay may not mean that the UE can complete the tracking of the TCI state. For example, if no TRS is transmitted within 3ms, the test requirements may be different from the case of TRS.

[0084] Currently, the LTE or 5G specifications do not define any method to limit the maximum duration without TRS transmission to ensure that the UE can track the TCI faster, and this issue depends on the specific implementation of the gNB.

[0085] In some aspects, if a new TCI is indicated (i.e., TCI indication based on MAC CE), the gNB may reserve some time for the UE to track this new TCI state.

[0086] In general, considerations regarding support for multi-TRP transmissions of DCI differ in frequency range 1 (FR1) vs. FR2 operation (below and above 6 GHz, respectively), for example, in terms of assumptions about UE RF and number of antennas.

[0087] In some aspects, for FR1, the potential issue of the number of TCI states that can be configured per CORESET being a bottleneck for PDCCH operation is less obvious. In addition, the factor of "switching time" as previously described, which is mainly related to the switching of Rx spatial parameters, may not pose too many challenges for FR1 operation. For such use cases, the different TCI states mainly correspond to QCL parameters such as average delay, Doppler, and SNR, which are more related to multi-TRP operation. In some aspects, if no QCL type D is configured in a TCI state, the UE can derive other QCL information from the indicated TCI state regardless of the scheduling offset.

[0088] In some aspects, for FR2 operation with UEs supporting multiple panels, enhancements to TCI association on a CORESET basis may be required regardless of the multiple TRP transmissions of DCI. This is because the UE may monitor and receive on the same beam using two different panels. Therefore, such enhancements may address the TCI limitation issue described above for FR2.

[0089] In some aspects, in order to further enhance in terms of increasing the number of TCI states configured per CORESET, or taking into account the number of CORESETs that can be configured for a UE, it is necessary to establish some relationship between the total number of TCI states, the TCI states that the UE may need to perform beam management, and the TCI states that are primarily used for diversity purposes. In particular, this is important because following the Rel-15 specification, each additional TCI state is also involved in beam management and beam failure detection operations.

[0090] This document discloses techniques for enabling multi-TRP transmission of DCI, for example, possible enhancements to TCI / CQL configuration, such as increasing the number of TCI / QCL states supported for PDCCH monitoring and reception, adjusting the maximum number of CORESETs monitored within the BWP, establishing a relationship with beam management operations, etc.

[0091] Mechanism for enhancing simultaneous multi-panel reception with different TCI / QCL configurations.

[0092] Figure 2Shows multiple downlink data transmissions that can be received by a user equipment simultaneously in the same time slot and that overlap in the time domain.

[0093] In some aspects, for the case where multiple DL control and / or data channel transmissions overlap in the time domain (i.e., FDM-based transmissions) and potentially each DL control and / or data channel transmission has a different spatial QCL configuration, enhancements may be considered in a subsequent version of the NR specification.

[0094] In some aspects, and as Figure 2 shown, a UE with multi-panel receiver capabilities (e.g., having p panels) may support simultaneous reception of a limited number (e.g., two or s, where s < p) of frequency-division multiplexed (FDM-ed) PDCCH / PDSCH with different TCI state configurations (e.g., having QCL type D). Referring Figure 2 , illustration 200 shows TRPs 202 and 204, which may perform transmission of downlink information for simultaneous reception by the UE. More specifically, TRP 202 transmits downlink control information or data 206 and 208, and TRP 204 transmits downlink control information or data 210 and 212. The control information or data from different TRPs is associated with different TCI states and QCL configurations. As Figure 2 shown, the downlink control information or data from these two TRPs is frequency multiplexed and transmitted simultaneously for simultaneous reception by the UE.

[0095] Mechanisms for enhancing TCI / QCL configurations for enabling multi-TRP transmission of DCI.

[0096] As described above, for example for ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) applications, some enhancements to the robustness and reliability performance of the PDCCH can be used under multi-TRP operation. Enabling support for a larger number of TCI states for PDCCH monitoring and increasing the number of CORESETs configured for the UE provide some directions for such enhancements.

[0097] In some aspects, for each component carrier (CC), it may be possible to configure N (e.g., N = 64) TCI states via RRC signaling, where a MAC CE can be used to downselect one of them to an active state.

[0098] In some aspects, the number of TCI states that can be configured for the UE via RRC signaling is increased to N' > N.

[0099] Increasing the number of TCI states that can be configured by RRC signaling can help reduce RRC configuration overhead. In addition, given potential future enhancements to increase the number of supported TRPs and panels, the impact of such an increase in the supported value N may be even more significant.

[0100] Figure 3 A CORESET configured with multiple TCIs according to some aspects is shown. In some aspects, based on reported UE capabilities, the configured CORESET may be associated with M' (>1) active TCI states, each with a different spatial QCL assumption (QCL type D according to NR Rel-15). This will allow the UE to monitor the PDCCH with M' different Rx beams. The M' Rx beams are obtained from tracking the M' active TCI states per CORESET. See Figure 3 , schematic diagram 300 shows a CORESET 302 configuring TCI states 304 and 306, which are associated with corresponding QCL information.

[0101] In some aspects, multiple active TCI states may be associated per CORESET and communicated to the UE via UE-specific RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0102] In some aspects, a specific active TCI state (from among the TCI state set configured by RRC or MAC CE) may be indicated to the UE for monitoring PDCCH candidates as part of the corresponding search space configuration pointing to the CORESET.

[0103] Figure 4 A CORESET of a single TCI state associated with multiple reference signals and QCL information is shown in accordance with some aspects of the configuration. In some aspects, and as Figure 4 As shown, in terms of PDCCH monitoring, the number of reference signals (RS) or synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) sharing the same QCL type in the TCI state can be increased to K (e.g., K=2) RSs for beam indication to the UE. Figure 4 , schematic diagram 400 shows a CORESET 402 configured with a TCI state 404. The TCI state 404 may be associated with a plurality of reference signals such as 406 and 408 and corresponding QCL information.

[0104] Figure 5 A CORESET is shown with multiple scrambling code IDs configured according to some aspects, each scrambling code ID being associated with a separate search space. In some aspects, and as Figure 5As shown in the diagram 500 in FIG. 5 , a configured CORESET 502 may be associated with different scrambling IDs, such as pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1 504 and pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2 516, which identify sequences used for channel estimation of PDCCH or other downlink information. Assume that a UE is configured with two search spaces (with searchSpaceId-1 508 and searchSpaceId-2 510) associated with the same CORESET 502. When monitoring the PDCCH associated with searchSpaceId-1, the UE may use pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1, and when monitoring the PDCCH associated with searchSpaceId-2, the UE may use pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2. The association between pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1 and searchSpaceId-1 (and between pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2 and searchSpaceId-2) may be indicated to the UE via higher layer signaling.

[0105] In some aspects, an increased number of RSs sharing the same QCL type in a TCI state enables multi-panel beam indication, e.g., RS1 for UE panel 1 and RS2 for UE panel 2, which may be used for beam failure detection (BFD) or radio link monitoring (RLM) operation / detection purposes.

[0106] In some aspects, an increased number of RSs sharing the same QCL type in a TCI state may enable beam diversity, e.g., the additional RSs share the same spatial Rx parameters and are not necessarily used for BFD / RLM.

[0107] In some aspects, a subset of the increased number of RSs share the same QCL type in TCI state to enable beam diversity and share the same spatial Rx parameters, while the rest provide multi-panel beam indication and are monitored for BFD / RLM operation / detection purposes.

[0108] The first subset of RSs can be considered as "auxiliary beams", which are mainly used for diversity improvement, which can be used for diversity-based transmissions, such as multi-TRP transmissions of physical channels, and are mainly used to resolve blocking rather than for UE connectivity. The second subset includes "anchor beams" that can also correspond to beam management operations (UE connectivity).

[0109] In some aspects, the UE is instructed to monitor a subset of beams / RSs for additional configurations for PDCCH monitoring, which it should monitor for the purpose of BFD / RLM operations / detection. This instruction can be carried out through UE-specific RRC signaling.

[0110] In some aspects, a maximum value is defined for the number of beams / RSs that the UE can monitor for the beam management process. The UE can be configured with more than 64 downlink reference signals for beam measurements via RRC signaling. In each beam reporting instance, the beam index (SSBRI or CRI) can take more than 6 bits.

[0111] In some aspects, the UE can be configured to monitor more than L > 3 CORESETs per BWP, where it can track one or more active TCI states per CORESET at any time.

[0112] In some aspects, the UE can be configured to monitor up to L' (L' <= L) CORESETs for BFD and / or RLM in a BWP. If the reference signal for BFD / RLM is not explicitly configured and L' < L, the gNB should indicate which (which ones) CORESETs should be monitored for BFD / RLM. The following options can be used to indicate the CORESET for BFD / RLM:

[0113] Option 1: Such an indication can be explicitly configured via RRC signaling, for example, an indicator with candidate values {"only BFD", "only RLM", "BFD and RLM", "not for BFD or RLM"} in each CORESET.

[0114] Option 2: Such an indication can be implicitly indicated, for example, the CORESET with a TCI state for UE antenna panel x (where x can be configured by RRC signaling or be predefined) should be used for BFD / RLM.

[0115] Additional aspects.

[0116] In some aspects, a method for new radio (NR) communications includes an enhancement to TCI / QCL configuration of a UE, wherein for each component carrier (CC), it is possible to configure N' TCI states through RRC signaling, and a MAC CE selects down a subset of them for the purpose of PDCCH monitoring and reception. In some aspects, through RRC signaling for each component carrier (CC) in the 15th release of the NR specification, the number of TCI states that can be configured for the UE through RRC is increased to N'>N, where N indicates the number of TCI states that can be configured for the UE, for example, N=64. In some aspects, based on the reported UE capabilities, the configured CORESET is associated with M' (>1) active TCI states, each active TCI state has a different spatial QCL assumption (according to QCL type D of NR Rel-15). This will allow the UE to monitor the PDCCH using M' different Rx beams. M' Rx beams are obtained from tracking M' active TCI states per CORESET.

[0117] In some aspects, the configured CORESET is associated with pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1 and pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2. Assuming that the UE is configured with two search spaces (with searchSpaceId-1 and searchSpaceId-2) associated with the same CORESET, the UE will use pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1 when monitoring the PDCCH associated to searchSpaceId-1, and will use pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2 when monitoring the PDCCH associated to searchSpaceId-2. The association between pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-1 and search SpaceId-1 (and between pdcch-DMRS-ScramblingID-2 and searchSpaceId-2) is indicated to the UE via higher layer signaling.

[0118] In some aspects, the number of RS / SSBs sharing the same QCL type in the TCI state is increased to K (e.g., K=2) RSs for beam indication to the UE. In some aspects, the increased number of RSs sharing the same QCL type in the TCI state enables multi-panel beam indication, e.g., RS1 for UE panel 1 and RS2 for UE panel 2, which can be used for BFD / RLM operation / detection purposes. In some aspects, the increased number of RSs sharing the same QCL type in the TCI state enables beam diversity, e.g., the additional RSs share the same spatial Rx parameters and are not necessarily used for BFD / RLM.

[0119] In some aspects, a subset of the increasing number of RSs that share the same QCL type in the TCI state enables beam diversity and shares the same spatial Rx parameters, while the remainder provides multi-panel beam indication and is monitored for the purpose of BFD / RLM operation / detection. The first subset of RSs forms the "auxiliary beam", mainly used for diversity-based transmission, such as multi-TRP transmission of physical channels. The second subset consists of "anchoring beams" that may also correspond to beam management operations (UE connectivity). In some aspects, the UE is indicated with a subset of beams / RSs for additional configuration for PDCCH monitoring, which it should monitor for the purpose of BFD / RLM operation / detection. This indication can be performed via UE-specific RRC signaling.

[0120] In some aspects, a maximum value is defined for the number of beams / RSs that the UE should monitor for the beam management process. The UE can be configured with more than 64 downlink reference signals for beam measurement via RRC signaling. In each beam reporting instance, the beam index (SSBRI or CRI) can be more than 6 bits.

[0121] In some aspects, the UE can be configured to monitor L>3 CORESETs per BWP, where it can track one or more active TCI states per CORESET at any time. In some aspects, the association of multiple active TCI states per CORESET is signaled to the UE via UE-specific RRC or MAC CE signaling. In some aspects, a specific active TCI state (from the TCI state set configured by RRC or MAC CE) is indicated to the UE for monitoring PDCCH candidates as part of the corresponding search space configuration pointing to that CORESET. In some aspects, the UE should expect to be configured to monitor up to L' (L' <= L) CORESETs for BFD and / or RLM in the BWP. If the reference signals for BFD / RLM are not explicitly configured and L' < L, the gNB should indicate which (which) CORESETs should be monitored for BFD / RLM. In some aspects, such indication can be explicitly configured via RRC signaling, for example, an indicator with candidate values {"only BFD", "only RLM", "BFD and RLM", "not for BFD or RLM"} in each CORESET. In some aspects, such indication can be implicitly indicated, for example, the CORESET with a TCI state for UE antenna panel x (where x can be configured by RRC signaling or be predefined) should be used for BFD / RLM. In some aspects, a UE with multi-panel receiver capabilities (e.g., with p panels) can support simultaneous reception of a limited number (e.g., two or s, where s < p) of FDM-ed PDCCH / PDSCH with different TCI state configurations (e.g., with QCL type D).

[0122] Figure 6 A block diagram of a communication device, such as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB), an access point (AP), a wireless station (STA), a mobile station (MS), or a user equipment (UE), for performing one or more of the techniques described herein, is shown according to some aspects. In alternative aspects, the communication device 600 can operate as a standalone device or can be connected (e.g., networked) to other communication devices.

[0123] A circuit (e.g., a processing circuit) is a collection of circuits implemented in a tangible entity of the device 600, the tangible entity including hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic components, etc.). Circuit component relationships can change flexibly over time. A circuit includes components that can perform specified operations when operated (alone or in combination). In one example, the hardware of the circuit can be invariably designed to perform a specific operation (e.g., hard-wired). In one example, the hardware of the circuit can include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) to encode instructions for a specific operation, and the physical components include machine-readable media that are physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, removably placed invariant aggregate particles, etc.).

[0124] When the physical components are connected, the basic electrical characteristics of the hardware components change, such as from an insulator to a conductor, or vice versa. The instruction enables embedded hardware (e.g., an execution unit or a loading mechanism) to create a circuit component in hardware via a variable connection to perform certain portions of a specific operation during operation. Thus, in one example, the machine-readable medium element is part of a circuit, or is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit when the device is operating. In one example, any of the physical components may be used in more than one component of more than one circuit. For example, during operation, an execution unit may be used in a first circuit of a first circuit system at one point in time, and reused by a second circuit in the first circuit system at a different time, or reused by a third circuit in the second circuit system. The following are additional examples of these components relative to device 600.

[0125] In some aspects, the device 600 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other devices. In a networked deployment, the communication device 600 may operate as a server communication device, a client communication device, or both in a server-client network environment. In one example, the communication device 600 may act as a peer communication device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The communication device 600 may be a UE, an eNB, a PC, a tablet, a STB, a PDA, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a Web device, a network router, a switch, or a bridge, or any communication device capable of executing instructions (in sequence or otherwise) that specify the actions to be taken by the communication device. In addition, although only one communication device is shown, the term "communication device" should also be deemed to include any collection of communication devices that individually or collectively execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more methods discussed herein (such as cloud computing software as a service (SaaS)) and other computer cluster configurations.

[0126] Examples as described herein may include a logical component or multiple components, modules or mechanisms, or may operate on a logical component or multiple components, modules or mechanisms. A module is a tangible entity (e.g., hardware) that can perform a specified operation and may be configured or arranged in some way. In one example, a circuit may be arranged as a module in a specified manner (e.g., internally or relative to an external entity such as other circuits). In one example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., independent computer systems, client computer systems, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware processors may be configured by firmware or software (e.g., instructions, application parts, or applications) to operate to perform a specified operation of the module. In one example, the software may reside on a communication device readable medium. In one example, the software, when executed by the underlying hardware of the module, causes the hardware to perform a specified operation.

[0127] Thus, the term "module" should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, i.e., an entity that is physically constructed, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily (e.g., transiently) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a specified manner or to perform part or all of any of the operations described herein. Considering an example where a module is temporarily configured, each module need not be instantiated at any one time. For example, if a module includes a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor may be configured into corresponding different modules at different times. The software may configure the hardware processor accordingly, for example, to constitute a particular module at one instance in time and another module at another instance in time.

[0128] The communication device (e.g., UE) 600 may include a hardware processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 604, a static memory 606, and a mass storage device 607 (e.g., a hard drive, a tape drive, a flash memory, other block or storage devices), some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnection link (e.g., a bus) 608.

[0129] The communication device 600 may also include a display device 610, a alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 614 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 610, the input device 612, and the UI navigation device 614 may be a touch screen display. The communication device 600 may additionally include a signal generating device 618 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 620, and one or more sensors 621, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. The communication device 600 may include an output controller 628, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)) connection, a parallel connection, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection, to communicate with one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.) or control the one or more peripheral devices.

[0130] The storage device 607 may include a communication device-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 (e.g., software) embodied or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. In some aspects, the processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, and / or the registers of the mass storage 607 may (in whole or at least in part) be or include a device-readable medium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 624 embodied or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functionality described herein. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 602, the main memory 604, the static memory 606, or the mass storage 616 constitutes the device-readable medium 622.

[0131] As used herein, the term “device readable medium” may be interchangeable with “computer readable medium” or “machine readable medium.” Although the communication device readable medium 622 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “communication device readable medium” may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store the one or more instructions 624.

[0132] The term "communication device readable medium" encompasses the terms "machine readable medium" or "computer readable medium" and may include any medium capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions (e.g., instructions 624) for execution by the communication device 600 and causing the communication device 600 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure, or capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting examples of communication device readable media may include solid-state memory, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of communication device readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples, the communication device readable medium may include non-transitory communication device readable media. In some examples, the communication device readable medium may include communication device readable media that is not a transient propagation signal.

[0133] The instructions 624 may also be transmitted or received over the communication network 626 using any of a plurality of transmission protocols using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620. In one example, the network interface device 620 may include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial cable, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas to connect to the communication network 626. In one example, the network interface device 620 may include multiple antennas to communicate wirelessly using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), MIMO, or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technology. In some examples, the network interface device 620 may communicate wirelessly using multi-user MIMO technology.

[0134] The term "transmission medium" should be deemed to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the communication device 600, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. In this regard, in the context of the present disclosure, a transmission medium is a device-readable medium.

[0135] The communication device readable medium may be provided by a storage device or other device capable of hosting data in a non-transient format. In one example, the information stored or otherwise provided on the communication device readable medium may represent instructions, such as the instructions themselves or the format from which the instructions can be derived. The format from which the instructions can be derived may include source code, coded instructions (e.g., in compressed or encrypted form), packaged instructions (e.g., divided into multiple packages), etc. The information representing the instructions in the communication device readable medium may be processed into instructions by the processing circuit to implement any operation discussed herein. For example, deriving instructions from information (e.g., processed by a processing circuit) may include: compiling (e.g., from source code, object code, etc.), interpreting, loading, organizing (e.g., dynamically or statically linking), encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, packaging, unpacking, or otherwise manipulating information into instructions.

[0136] In one example, the derivation of instructions may include (e.g., by processing circuitry) assembling, compiling, or interpreting information to create instructions from some intermediate or pre-processed format provided by a machine-readable medium. Information, when provided in multiple parts, may be combined, unpacked, and modified to create instructions. For example, the information may be in multiple compressed source code packages (or object code, or binary executable code, etc.) on one or more remote servers. The source code packages may be encrypted when transmitted over a network, and may be decrypted, decompressed, assembled (e.g., linked) as necessary, and compiled or interpreted (e.g., into a library, independently executable, etc.) at a local machine, and may be executed by the local machine.

[0137] Although one aspect has been described with reference to specific exemplary aspects, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made to these aspects without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the description and drawings should be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Therefore, this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the various aspects is limited solely by the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: One or more processors, wherein in order to configure a user equipment UE for receiving, the one or more processors are configured to: Decoding a radio resource control RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication TCI states; decoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among a plurality of configured TCI states; determining a plurality of receive beams using the plurality of active TCI states; as well as Decode downlink information, wherein the downlink information includes a first part and a second part, wherein the first part and the second part have different TCI states among the multiple active TCI states, and are received via at least one of the multiple receive beams determined to be associated with the multiple active TCI states, wherein the first part and the second part of the downlink information are frequency division multiplexed with each other. 2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the downlink information is physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) data or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first portion of the downlink information originates from a first TRP among a plurality of transmission reception points TRPs, and the second portion of the downlink information originates from a second TRP among the plurality of TRPs. 4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first part and the second part of the downlink information are simultaneously received by the UE via different reception beams among the determined multiple reception beams.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The first portion of the downlink information is received using a first antenna panel of a multi-panel receiver, and the second portion of the downlink information is received using a second antenna panel of the multi-panel receiver.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The second RRC signaling is decoded, where the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Tracking the plurality of active TCI states associated with the CORESET to acquire the plurality of receive beams; and The PDCCH reception is performed using the plurality of reception beams.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the CORESET is associated with a single active TCI state of the configured plurality of TCI states, wherein the single active TCI state is associated with a plurality of reference signals, RS, or synchronization signal blocks, SSB, the plurality of RS or SSB being associated with different quasi co-located QCL information, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: acquiring at least one receive beam based on the QCL information associated with the plurality of RSs or SSBs; and The PDCCH reception is performed using the at least one receive beam.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the CORESET is associated with a plurality of scrambling code identifiers (IDs), each scrambling code ID identifying a channel estimation scrambling code sequence.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: decoding higher layer signaling indicating an association of each of the plurality of scrambling code IDs with a search space ID of a corresponding plurality of search space IDs, the search space ID identifying a search space for PDCCH monitoring; and The PDCCH monitoring is performed using at least one of the plurality of search space IDs and a corresponding scrambling code ID of the plurality of scrambling code IDs associated with the CORESET.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising transceiver circuitry coupled to the one or more processors; and one or more antennas coupled to the transceiver circuitry.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of an access node, wherein the instructions cause the access node to: encoding a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the RRC signaling comprising configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a user equipment (UE); encoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among the configured plurality of TCI states; and Encode downlink information for transmission to the UE, the downlink information associated with one of the multiple active TCI states and frequency multiplexed with downlink information associated with a second one of the multiple active TCI states.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the access node to: encoding a second RRC signaling, wherein the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception, The CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), the instructions being configured to cause the UE to: Decoding a radio resource control RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication TCI states; decoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among a plurality of configured TCI states; determining a plurality of receive beams using the plurality of active TCI states; and Decode downlink information, wherein the downlink information includes a first part and a second part, wherein the first part and the second part have different TCI states among the multiple active TCI states, and are received via at least one of the multiple receive beams determined to be associated with the multiple active TCI states, wherein the first part and the second part of the downlink information are frequency division multiplexed with each other.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first portion of the downlink information originates from a first TRP among a plurality of transmission reception points (TRPs), and the second portion of the downlink information originates from a second TRP among the plurality of TRPs. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the downlink information are simultaneously received by the UE via different receive beams among the determined plurality of receive beams.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the UE to: The first portion of the downlink information is received using a first antenna panel of a multi-panel receiver, and the second portion of the downlink information is received using a second antenna panel of the multi-panel receiver.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the UE to: The second RRC signaling is decoded, where the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-location (QCL) information, and wherein execution of the instructions further causes the UE to: Tracking the plurality of active TCI states associated with the CORESET to acquire the plurality of receive beams; and The PDCCH reception is performed using the plurality of reception beams.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the CORESET is associated with a single active TCI state of the configured plurality of TCI states, wherein the single active TCI state is associated with a plurality of reference signals, RS, or synchronization signal blocks, SSB, the plurality of RS or SSB being associated with different quasi-co-location, QCL information, and wherein execution of the instructions further causes the UE to: acquiring at least one receive beam based on the QCL information associated with the plurality of RSs or SSBs; and The PDCCH reception is performed using the at least one receive beam.

21. A method for a user equipment UE, comprising: Decoding a radio resource control RRC signaling, wherein the RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication TCI states; decoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among a plurality of configured TCI states; determining a plurality of receive beams using the plurality of active TCI states; as well as Decode downlink information, wherein the downlink information includes a first part and a second part, wherein the first part and the second part have different TCI states among the multiple active TCI states, and are received via at least one of the multiple receive beams determined to be associated with the multiple active TCI states, wherein the first part and the second part of the downlink information are frequency division multiplexed with each other.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the downlink information is physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) data or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first portion of the downlink information originates from a first TRP among a plurality of transmission reception points TRPs, and the second portion of the downlink information originates from a second TRP among the plurality of TRPs.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first part and the second part of the downlink information are simultaneously received by the UE via different reception beams among the determined multiple reception beams.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the method further comprises: The first portion of the downlink information is received using a first antenna panel of a multi-panel receiver, and the second portion of the downlink information is received using a second antenna panel of the multi-panel receiver.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises: The second RRC signaling is decoded, where the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information, and wherein the method further comprises: Tracking the plurality of active TCI states associated with the CORESET to acquire the plurality of receive beams; as well as The PDCCH reception is performed using the plurality of reception beams.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the CORESET is associated with a single active TCI state of the configured plurality of TCI states, wherein the single active TCI state is associated with a plurality of reference signals RS or synchronization signal blocks SSB, the plurality of RS or SSB being associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information, and wherein the method further comprises: acquiring at least one receive beam based on the QCL information associated with the plurality of RSs or SSBs; as well as The PDCCH reception is performed using the at least one receive beam.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the CORESET is associated with a plurality of scrambling code identifiers (IDs), each scrambling code ID identifying a channel estimation scrambling code sequence.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the method further comprises: decoding higher layer signaling indicating an association of each of the plurality of scrambling code IDs with a search space ID of a corresponding plurality of search space IDs, the search space ID identifying a search space for PDCCH monitoring; as well as The PDCCH monitoring is performed using at least one of the plurality of search space IDs and a corresponding scrambling code ID of the plurality of scrambling code IDs associated with the CORESET.

31. A method for accessing a node, comprising: encoding a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the RRC signaling comprising configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a user equipment (UE); encoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among the configured plurality of TCI states; and Encode downlink information for transmission to the UE, the downlink information associated with one of the multiple active TCI states and frequency multiplexed with downlink information associated with a second one of the multiple active TCI states.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises: encoding a second RRC signaling, wherein the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception, The CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information.

33. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: One or more processors, wherein to configure the access node for transmission, the one or more processors are configured to: encoding a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the RRC signaling comprising configuration information for configuring a plurality of transmission configuration indication (TCI) states to a user equipment (UE); encoding a medium access control element MAC CE, the MAC CE indicating a plurality of active TCI states among the configured plurality of TCI states; and Encode downlink information for transmission to the UE, the downlink information associated with one of the multiple active TCI states and frequency multiplexed with downlink information associated with a second one of the multiple active TCI states.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: encoding a second RRC signaling, wherein the second RRC signaling includes configuration information for configuring time and frequency resources of a control resource set CORESET for physical downlink control channel PDCCH reception, The CORESET is associated with the plurality of active TCI states, wherein each active TCI state is associated with different quasi-co-located QCL information.

35. A computer program product comprising program code portions for performing the method according to any one of claims 21 to 32 when the computer program product is run on one or more computing devices.

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